


my lunar eclipse

by rokuslander



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28089888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rokuslander/pseuds/rokuslander
Summary: after aang defeats ozai and peace is restored between the nations, mai dreams of a maiden in the moon with silk white hair and bright blue eyes, more ethereal than anyone she's ever seen. after doing some research... could mai be falling in love with the mysterious galaxy girl?
Relationships: Mai/Yue (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	1. prologue

One night, long after dinner had settled in her stomach and she had played until she got bored of it, young Mai snuck into her father's study, a decision that would net the tone for her relationship with him forever, though she had no way of knowing at the time. The young girl, only around six, crawled into the large room and under the desk, the important men of the Fire Nation government too wrapped up in their conversation of the siege on the Southern Water Tribe to notice. 

"Great job, Yon Rha," a gruff voice laughed, and Mai didn't like the way he spoke. It felt like thorns in her ears, and she felt in her gut that something was wrong. "You finally snuffed out the last of the Southern Water Tribe." suddenly, another voice spoke, grimy and sadistic.

"What did you do with the last few, eh, Rha? I never got notified about any new prisoners." The air stilled, and Mai heard the floorboards creak beneath the feet of the men as they leaned in, hesitant and waiting for the man named Rha to speak. 

"What do you think I did to them? Not one of them is left. I left the last one for dead, some weak woman, begging for mercy." little Mai felt like she was going to hurl as the men laughed, and she hated the way he said 'woman'with such scorn. But her father wouldn't just allow them to kill people that had not done wrong, would he? Certainly he wouldn't allow such a thing? Mai found herself moving into the light before she could stop herself. 

"Papa?" Mai called, creeping out from under her father's desk to confront him, and this was the first time she had to put on a brave face in front of these strange men in her home. "Papa, what did the water tribe... do wrong?" Everyone in the room froze, unsure how to answer the child's question.

"What is she doing in here?" one of the larger men bellowed, his gruff voice scolding Mai, making her eyes widen in fear. 

"I-1 don't know!" Mai's father stammered, his face flushing red as he tried to console the men, angry at his daughter. Mai looked around, almost reduced to tears at the sight of the men yelling at her father, a man she looked up to forever. Now he just looked weak. Thankfully, her mother heard the commotion and hurried little Mai out, picking her up and ignoring the men's yells toward her, head hung low. She ran through the hallway to the north wing, opening the painted wooden door to Mai's room, placing her on her bed and hurrying out, grabbing the key off of it's hook on the wall. Mai got up to try to apologize, to ask her mother what she had done wrong. But by the time she had gotten her little slippers onto the cold floor, she heard the key rattling in the lock of her door. 

"Mama?" she called, confused and scared, pity for her father filling her heart as she pounded on the door, pity for herself growing as her mother's voice quivered. 

"Mai, please," she sighed, holding the doorknob firmly in her right hand. "You can't... you can't do things like that, you're not... mature enough to understand your Papa's business properly yet." Mai didn't understand, she thought she was plenty mature, playing Royal Advisors with Azula instead of pretending to be a princess like the other girls at her school, not laughing when Zuko and Ty Lee would make silly little-kid jokes. Mai was mature for a bright young girl of six years old. And as she banged on the door, pleading to her mother to let her out until her voice was hoarse and her cheeks were tearstained, 

Mai decided she was going to prove it to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you hater her parents yet... because i sure do! anyway the first actual chapter is coming soon so stay tuned for that (it'll def be longer than this), hopefully have it up at the latest by tomorrow or wednesday, but if i can't sleep i'll post tonight! don't forget to drink water :))
> 
> \- mercury <3


	2. the dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mai has a dream, tw for slight internalized homophobia

Mai wandered down the hall, skimming her fingers over the painted surface, across textured portraits of her and her family, her face growing increasingly dim in each one. She was five before she could sit still long enough to be painted professionally, and young Mai’s face lit up, smiling as hard as she could for her very first painting. By the time she sat for her fifth portrait, she had already been whipped into the perfect daughter for her parents. Never speaking until spoken to, very obedient, good grades, mature. She still managed to hold a smile long enough to be captured as such, but that was the last painting she ever smiled for. After around three more years, her parents gave up on including her in family portraits, and she was thankful that she wouldn’t have to sit through any more hours of ‘family bonding.’ Now they had Tom Tom for that, and Mai hoped he would be the perfect heir she couldn’t be, but she hoped they wouldn’t snuff out the light in his eyes, at the very least not as early as hers. 

Mai pushed the thought out of her mind as she pushed her bedchamber door open, candle in hand. She stretched, taking off her robe and hanging it on the hook in her wardrobe, slipping into bed and blowing out the candle and staring at the ceiling, soft rays of streetlight drifting through the cracks in her curtains. She held her pillow to her chest, and for the first time in a long time, Mai felt truly alone. She couldn’t sneak off to the palace to hang out with Azula and Ty Lee, Azula had been in the asylum for months and Ty Lee was with the Kyoshi warriors now. She wrote often, but it was nothing like her being there. Mai loved Ty, even though she didn’t know how to show it, and she missed having such a bubbly persona around. Azula was nowhere near bubbly, but she was… creative, in some sense of the word, and Mai knew she loved them both, in her twisted Azula way. She pushed them away in her very short reign as Firelord, but Mai knew she regretted it. She smiled into the dark, and then she remembered… Zuko. Mai did love Zuko, and she wished they could have been something. But his explosive personality made him hard to read. Mai had no emotion, and Zuko had too much. But she wished that maybe they could have stayed the way they were sometimes, if only to have literally anyone to comfort her on nights like these, to hold her and make her feel something for once. Mai drifted to sleep, exhausted and lonely.

“Mai,” the gentle voice beckoned, airy and light, warm like a fresh cup of tea. Mai opened her eyes, and she was on the moon, her boots leaving light footprints in the soft, glowing surface. She looked up, stars glistening, dim fractals of light falling around her to the surface of the moon like snowflakes. She held up her hand, a star falling into her hand, a soft halo of light reflecting from it. It was the most brilliant thing she’d ever seen in her life, until she looked up. Suddenly she became aware of where the voice had come from, a glowing ethereal being, a girl obviously of water tribe descent, with sunkissed honey-brown skin and brilliant blue eyes, contrasting soft white hair that fell elegantly past her shoulders, the top tied up in delicate loops, framing her head like a crown. Mai forgot how to breathe, the incredible woman drifting weightlessly toward her, smiling fondly. 

“Who… who are you?” Mai asked, the woman inches away from her face. Mai craned her neck up, and before she could stop herself, she realized she wanted nothing more than to kiss the glowing beauty. The figure reached a hand up, placing a finger to Mai’s lips. 

“Not yet,” she breathed, laughing warmly, the sound filling Mai’s lungs like a breath of fresh air, and she found herself breathing in, no longer holding the tight composure she normally kept. The woman smelled of lily blossoms and fresh seawater, and something warmer, gentle, that Mai couldn’t quite put her finger on as the stellar maiden placed a hand delicately on her chin, tilting it up to look at her, and Mai finally realized her feet had left the ground. She was floating, spiraling, the stars around her landing in her hair and on her nose, making her giggle for the first time, maybe ever. 

“I must go. Find me, Mai.” the way the strange woman spoke her name left Mai breathless, and she woke up in her bed, feeling more empty than she ever had. She had to find whoever she was. Then she stopped. 

“You’re being stupid, Mai, completely delusional! You don’t know who this is, or if she even exists!” she looked over in the mirror, and she looked like shit. “Spirits, my face is red.” it was, she was blushing all the way to the ears. It was probably some sort of spirit prank. Ever since Aang defeated Ozai, weird spirit-y things were bound to happen, right? Ancient stories, dating back years and years would tell Mai that spirits were tricksters, beautiful and deceitful, often. She was beautiful. No, not beautiful, that wasn’t a good enough word. And although Mai literally found herself unable to breathe at the mere thought of her, breathtaking wasn’t good enough either. So about half an hour later, Mai found herself hunched over any book she could find in the house on spirits, hoping to find one that was described as “stunning enough to make one think herself to be homosexual,” but that was crazy talk. Mai had loved Zuko, hadn’t she? She could be bi, but no! No self-respecting daughter of Ukano would ever love another woman. But that woman, she… oh god. Mai tried to kiss her and oh god she really, really wanted to. It was like fate was pulling at her, tugging her in and endless game of tug-of-war until she found this woman, because she missed her even though they’d hardly met. She grabbed a pen, frantically scribbling down everything she could remember about her. Everything was a lot, of course, because she was just so impossible to forget, and as the night grew on, she grew tired, and fell asleep reading of spirits, because she needed to find her.

-

Mai woke up the next morning, excited. She didn’t remember the last time she’d been genuinely excited about anything, but today she shuffled her papers from the night before in order and wrote a very urgent-sounding letter to Ty Lee. The impossibly bubbly acrobat would be shocked by the emotion in the letter, and Mai knew she would pack her bags and be at her house in three days. Mai didn’t know if she could wait that long, but she sure would try. Mai needed help finding this spirit, and Ty Lee was the only person she knew who would drop everything to help her. For now, she was going to do some research on her own.


	3. a revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ty Lee arrives with a possible new lead on the moon maiden?

After days of research, Mai could find nothing on the moon spirit. She had exhausted every option in the area, almost all records of spirits in every archive in the Fire Nation had been wiped out by Ozai, and with every rejection, with every single ‘no,’ Mai found herself more and more overwhelmed and distraught. A week after sending her letter to Ty Lee, she was finding it harder than usual to get herself out of bed, but every morning she would wake up disgustingly lovesick and needing more and more to find the spirit. Every night, a flash of the breathtaking woman would appear, and she would be awake the next morning, yearning to the point of madness for her. When Ty finally arrived on her doorstep a week after the letter was sent, Mai was in complete disarray. 

“Mai!” Ty squealed, pulling her into a hug and pulling back, realizing for the first time in a long time that Mai had hugged back, and that she looked awful. “Jeez, Mai, have you been sleeping?” she questioned, placing a hand on her cheek and looking into her eyes. 

“Yeah, I… not really.” Mai laughed, the sound startling Ty Lee even more than the warm hug. 

“Are you sick or something, hm?” she asked worriedly, placing a hand on her forehead. 

“Ty, I’m fine, just let me explain what happened before you ask a million questions, please?” Ty Lee nodded and picked up her bags, walking into the living room and collapsing on an armchair. “This is going to sound insane, and now that you’re here, I kind of regret asking you to come all this way,” Mai grumbled, feeling horrible for tearing her friend away from her duties as a Kyoshi warrior. Ty Lee waved her off and motioned for her to start her story. “Okay, uhm, so basically I had this dream,” Mai began, telling Ty Lee all about the recurring dreams and the mysterious alluring woman in great detail, and what she thought the woman was. She told her that she presumed her to be a spirit playing a trick, but when she did her research, she couldn’t find anything. When she finished and looked up at Ty, she was practically bouncing off the walls.

“Okay! So I’m not entirely sure, but I think I know who you encountered in your dream.” Mai’s heart damn near stopped, her eyes widening, a new flicker of hope sparking in her chest, spreading like wildfire immediately. “We should do our research first, but the woman you described sounds like Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe. The only problem is…” Ty Lee trailed off, certain that Mai wouldn’t want to hear what she had to tell her. 

“She… died a few years back, when Zuko was hunting Aang. If this is the same woman, I remember being told the story by some carny friends if you’re interested,” Ty offered, bracing herself for Mai to block her out again at the thought of the woman’s death. 

“Of course I do, I need to know as much as I can,” Mai stated determinedly, setting her jaw and leaning forward. “Tell me anything you know.”  
Ty Lee nodded, knowing that Mai had never been this worked up about anything. 

“So, Yue was the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, and Aang’s group had to travel there to master waterbending. Her and Sokka were kind of a thing apparently, but she was already betrothed.” The idea of Sokka, nothing against him, but Sokka, being with the breathtaking woman from her dreams was definitely an odd pairing. Not that she thought she’d look much better in comparison but- wait, what was she thinking? There was no comparison because this obviously wasn’t romantic, Mai just felt that something was off with the stellar maiden, and her call to find her was something she had to fulfill. Right? “When Yue was first born, she was very sick, and they didn’t think she’d last the night. Her mother prayed to the spirits to save her, and part of the moon spirit was used to save her, connecting it to her. During Aang’s stay at the Northern water Tribe, Admiral Zhao killed the moon spirit, Tui, and to save her people from the Fire Nation, Yue took Tui’s place, and it killed her. Nobody really knows what happened to her next, whether she’s still the moon spirit or not, until now I guess,” Ty Lee finished, smiling at her friend. 

“Until now?” Mai asked sheepishly. 

“You communed with her, we know she’s still up there,” Ty Lee giggled, looking up at the moon through the window. 

“I… wow, I need to make sure this is her.” 

“How will you find out?” 

“Me and you are going to do some digging.” Mai grinned, and Ty grinned back, feeling like a little kid again. If Mai was going to be like this more often, Ty Lee was going to make sure she found her space girl.

\- - -

“Mai,” the voice breathed, and if Mai didn’t know any better, she’d think the spirit liked saying her name so often. She looked up, and she was back on the moon, the same stardust falling all around her as every other night, but tonight, she was still in her bed, Ty Lee asleep beside her, snoring lightly. 

“Hi, moon spirit,” Mai chuckled, pushing her hair out of her face. She had resigned to calling her ‘moon spirit’ or ‘star girl’ when they talked because she still refused to tell Mai her name. “I’m usually more… presentable than this, sorry,” She blushed. Why did she care what the spirit thought of her? Why did she want to look her best when they spoke? Mai looked down at her sleeping garments, flushing red.

“That’s okay,” the star girl laughed, smiling the most contagiously beautiful smile Mai had ever seen in her life. “You look fine.”

"You can’t… change into anything more comfortable?” Mai asked, feeling underdressed as she studied the maiden’s intricately patterned white robes, layered with pale blue flowing silks. The spirit laughed, and when Mai blinked, she was in a simpler gown, her white hair loose around her shoulders, spilling everywhere, smoother than flowing water. She was sitting at the end of her bed now, legs tucked neatly under herself, a mannerism very likely of a Water Tribe princess. Mai reached out, twirling her hair around her finger, the very essence of the woman radiating through light, as if she was glowing from the inside out. The woman sat there, tilting her head toward the other girl, sighing with content. Mai wanted to ask if her name was Yue, but every time she asked who she was during the week, the dream would end, and Mai wasn’t sure she was ready to let go of her. 

“Who is she?” the woman asked in her sweet voice, gesturing toward Ty, still sound asleep next to Mai. 

“That’s Ty Lee, my best friend.” Mai smiled, glancing fondly at the acrobat girl. 

“So you’re not… She’s not your…” Mai looked back at the woman, obviously at a loss for words for the first time. 

“Oh, Ty?” Mai laughed. “No, it’s not like that, we’re just friends.” the woman sighed contentedly, leaning her head closer to Mai so she could fidget with her hair easier. Mai could have sworn she saw the woman blush, but that was impossible. Why would she be relieved about that? What could she possibly see in Mai?

Something about tonight’s dream was so intimate, and Mai couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Was it the way the moon girl sat in her bed, Mai’s bed, and hummed softly, sitting elegantly in her white dress, her hair in gentle waves around her face, like a simple picture frame around an intricate painting? The way, perhaps, that even though the woman had changed to appear much simpler, Mai had never seen anyone nearly as staggering as her? Mai found herself pulled toward the woman, she wanted nothing more than to be closer to her. The moon girl opened her eyes, bluer than the sky and deeper than any ocean, and Mai realized she was talking again before she could stop herself.

“Are you… Yue?” the beautiful woman sighed, looking down at the sheets and placing her hand on Mai’s cheek. Her eyes held so much sadness that Mai found herself wanting to cry. And then, she woke up and it was morning again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when will merc figure out how to use notes? only time will tell. anyways follow @FIREPROOFSKlN on twitter <3 - sabotaged by moo


	4. acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Mai meet and unlock New Emotions tm (can u guess what it is, here's a hint it's gay) and take their leave to reunite with the Gaang, some quality older-gaang content and Sokka is Hot now, slight tw for mild internalized homophobia

Mai and Ty Lee made breakfast in the morning, chatting casually while they ate. Mai decided not to tell Ty Lee about star girl's apparent jealousy, because for some reason, it just felt too intimate. Mai found herself thinking about it every few minutes, smiling to herself and looking down so Ty wouldn't notice. Later in the day, she met with Firelord Zuko's advisor and told him to clear all of their meetings until further notice. 

"B-but madam Mai, you can't just leave on such short notice!" The squat man stammered. "Who will take your place?" Before Mai could object, Zuko entered the room, clearing his throat to catch their attention. 

"Actually, I think it's high time Mai had a vacation." He laughed, voice slightly hoarse, eyes tired.

"Oh, Zuko, you look… horrible," Mai laughed. The short man beside her stiffened. Mai could practically feel him trembling beside her, he obviously wasn't used to the Firelord being referred to so casually, and being called horrible, no less. 

"Y-you can't speak to the Firelord like-" 

"Chin, it's alright. Might I have a minute to speak with Mai alone?" The short man nodded, his face drained of all color as he slipped out of the room, hardly keeping his balance as he tried not to trip over his own feet. "I look horrible, huh?" Zuko chuckled, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "Have you looked in a mirror recently?" Mai was beyond grateful they were back to playful banter, like they did when they were kids. 

"Hey, this isn't about me. Your dark circles are so harsh I would think you got in a fight with Toph." They laughed again, the air in the room light and warm, and Mai had missed this more than anything. It was always expected that they would be together, but they never really fit past the way they seemed on paper. And now, this woman… making Mai fall so helplessly and foolishly in love, as she had come to terms with it over the past night. 

"So, why are you leaving?" Zuko asked, resting his chin on a strong fist. 

"I… this is going to sound crazy, Zuko, you're not going to get it." 

"Mai." Zuko said, taking her hand in his, looking into her eyes, suddenly serious. "You can tell me anything. Always."

"Always?" She queried, cocking her eyebrow. Zuko nodded and she sighed. Guess I should just tell him. She told him everything, about the dreams, the way she felt, who Ty Lee thought the woman was, what she planned to do during her time away. Zuko listened intently, and Mai knew he was paying attention. And she knew he understood. She didn't know why or how, but she knew Zuko understood.

"Wow." He said. He sat back in his chair, taking it all in. "Well, for what it's worth, I don't think you're crazy. And you think she's Water Tribe, huh?" He chuckled, fidgeting with his sleeve, face going slightly red as he looked away. 

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just… it's nothing, I'm being stupid." Now it was Mai's turn to reassure Zuko, so she took his hand in hers again and started to speak.

"Firelord Zuko, tell me right now or so help me, spirits I will send knives flying," she joked, unable to hold a straight face. They burst into laughter, loud and raucous, filling the large room. 

"Okay, okay fine." He breathed in, and then, "Sokka." Mai was confused for a moment. What? And then it hit her. 

"SOKKA?!" Mai yelled, doubling over with laughter. 

"Well, shut up, I don't want the whole nation to know!" Zuko laughed again, his face dimming. Mai looked at him, her eyes alone asking what was wrong. "I just… I mean what would the nation think if they knew their own Firelord was…" Zuko trailed off and Mai squeezed his hand, shooting him a look that told him she understood. "Well!" Zuko said, standing up. Your request for a leave has been granted and… well, would you like some company on your trip?" He asked, smiling his dorky Zuko smile, reminding Mai of when they were just kids in Caldera, before he got his scar. 

"Absolutely."

\- - -

Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee put in their leave notices, leaving the Fire Nation in the hands of trusted executives, making their way to find Aang and company, hoping they'd help them on their search. Aang and Ty Lee had been pen pals over the past few months, their bubbly demeanors fitting together amazingly. Ty also sent a letter back to her fairly new home on Kyoshi Island to Suki, detailing the situation at hand and inviting her along. Mai had always been fairly alone, but now… it felt amazing to have this many people there for her. They arrived to Air Temple Island, the current home of Aang's group, and were met warmly with beds to sleep in and food to eat, all very differently made from the commodities of high-class Fire Nation, but wonderful nonetheless. The large group converged in the living room of Aang's current house, eating vegan for the night and laughing about old times. The war felt like forever ago now, and it had only been around 5 years. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki all sat in the living room with the Fire Nationals, and Mai marveled at how much they'd all grown. Aang was 17 now, short brown hair covering part of his tattoo, the arrow still showing dutifully on his forehead. He was much less stick-like than he was during the war, now built stronger, a robed arm thrown playfully around Katara, who's hair was in a single braid at the base of her neck as usual, hair loops taken out for the night. Her hair was shorter now, not as short as Suki's, but Mai liked it, complimenting her on it, which surprised everyone, including herself. Mai liked being likable, and everything about the moon girl was bringing out the best in her, she wanted to make her proud, if she was watching at any point. Sokka was on the other side of Aang, cracking jokes and being his usual Sokka self the entire time, but he was so much more… mature now. A few times, Mai noticed Zuko laughing just a little too hard at his jokes and his eyes darting away when he caught his eye, and even though Sokka was not by any means Mai's cup of tea, she began to understand why Zuko was so infatuated with him. He was around 20 now, more muscular, his hair still in it's usual state of half-shaved, his cheekbones and jawline stronger, his arms larger, and man, he looked like he could fight a Tiger-Bear and win. His upper left arm was covered in tattoos, meaningful and intricate, and when he took his hair out of the wolf-tail style, Mai thought Zuko might faint. Suki was more mature too, buff as any woman she'd ever seen fight in earthbending competitions, and she was just so… Suki. Light and earthy, laughing along and bouncing her own jokes off of Sokka's like a natural comic. She sat on the floor in her night robes, a small mirror in hand as she wiped off the remainder of her Kyoshi Warrior makeup. Toph sat next to her, feet planted firmly on the ground so she could see. She was still her, but also more mature, around 17 now, hair pulled out of her face in a bandana as Katara put some clay mask on her face. 

"Pimples don't bother me, Katara. I can't even see them!" Katara rolled her eyes still placing the cream on her face.

"Remember when we all met at the Boiling Rock?" Ty Lee giggled, and the atmosphere in the room tensed slightly. For Mai, the Boiling Rock trip was a painful reminder of Azula, remembering that she was so ready to hurt her. Azula wasn't okay then, and Mai knew she was doing better and getting the help she needed now, but… still. For Zuko, it was the trip that made him realize he was head over heels for Sokka, and watching him and Suki reunite was all but easy for him, jealousy building a wall around his heart for the first time. Aang coughed. 

"So! Who wants some more stew?" Katara asked, feigning an upbeat composure. A chorus of agreement broke out, and they were back to normal. They planned the trip to the Northern Water Tribe the next day, talking and laughing about what would happen if they were somehow to bring the moon girl to them, and the easy confirmation that she was Yue from everyone who had previously met her was the largest weight lifted off of Mai's shoulders as they spoke. She drew her, fairly crude but as well as she could, and Sokka immediately piped up. 

"Yeah, that's Yue all right." He nodded thoughtfully. "So you've… communicated with her?" She told them about a few of the dreams, still fairly convinced they'd think her to be insane, but all of them were completely open to the idea. 

"She sounds incredible," Suki chimed in, placing her makeup-stained cloth down finally and tying up her hair. Mai felt so safe here, she felt like she could tell them anything.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Yeah, I think I'm in love with her." The room went silent as Mai's eyes widened, clapping a hand over her mouth. Katara was the first to break the silence.

"Yeah, I mean I kind of figured by the way you talk about her," she said, wiping the clay mask off of her hands. A chorus of 'same' and 'yeah' echoed through the room, and Mai relaxed a little.

"You mean you're not… weirded out by it or anything?" She asked looking up at the group.

"Mai." Toph laughed, "Have you met us?" 

"Toph's right. I'd date a guy," Sokka smiled, and Mai could swear she saw him glance at Zuko, who was red in the face, his right cheek damn near as red as the scar covering his left. 

"They're right, you know," Ty Lee piped up, sighing. "I… I personally have always kind of been head over heels for Azula. Literally," she giggled, pushing herself into a handstand and plopping herself onto the couch next to Mai. They all laughed, and the cool night air seemed to relax under the weight of their acceptance, and Mai felt amazing, warm light blossoming deep in her chest. I'm okay, she thought. Nothing that I'm feeling is wrong. And she was right. 

\- - -

Merc here! Hi!! Uhhh just some quality Mai acceptance because I love her so very much, you're welcome. Sorry I haven't dropped a chapter in a while, holiday season was pretty overwhelming. Well, hope you enjoyed! <3


	5. i miss you, mai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Appa appreciation, some very gay zukka, yue confesses her feelings ✨

The group woke up for breakfast the next morning, more vegan food that left a weird taste in Mai's mouth, but she was too energized to even care. The same as every night, she dreamt of Yue, beautiful and breathtaking as usual, the novelty of her sheer visual appeal never wearing off for a second. She was still in her 'more comfortable' robes from the last time Mai asked, and she liked it better this way. It made her feel like Yue was so much more real, a person like she was. She told the girls about the dream as they went to prepare Appa for the trip, all of the boys still half-asleep in the house. They walked around the building to the pen where Appa slept, Katara feeding him while the rest of the girls fastened the saddle and packed on their bags. They finished early, so they spent the next half our coddling Appa, Ty Lee especially. She thought he was just a big fluffy baby, and he loved her most out of anyone in the group. 

"Who's a good bison? You are! Yes you are!" Ty cooed, her hands on the giant beast's face, her fingers running through his white fur. 

"I think you love this bison more than Aang does, Ty," Suki giggled, laying on the back of the enormous creature. 

"How can you blame her when he's just so lovable?" Toph laughed, grabbing hold of his fur and climbing up to drape herself over the bison's neck. Everyone had a soft spot for Appa, even Toph, and she hardly had a soft spot for anyone. She instinctively laid, her chin on his forehead, even after all these years. Ty Lee continued to coo at him scratching his chin as he laid in the sun, basking in it like a puppy. They laid in the sun, talking about the journey ahead. 

"So… what do you plan on doing?" Toph asked Mai. 

"I… I don't really know. You know that feeling when you need to do something, like it's your purpose, like you have to complete it? I don't even know what I'm working towards, but… I want to find a way to bring her back."

"Mai… i don't know if that's entirely possible. I mean we saw her… I saw her…"

"I know, I know, I just… I feel like she wouldn't have come for me if i wasn't supposed to help her."

"Okay. I trust you," Katara nodded, and a spark of hope lit in her. The idea of getting Yue back was exciting, she always liked her. The rest of the girls nodded in agreement, and as the conversation came to a close, the boys walked out of the house, finally fully awake. Sokka's tattooed arm was slung casually around Zuko's shoulder as they walked, and Zuko looked ready to die of happiness just by being so close to him. His hair out today, and his outfit was much more casual than the usual stuffy Firelord robes. Sokka was in his usual blue wrap-tunic and Aang was wearing his yellow and orange Air Nomad robes, much more open than his old ones. 

"Morning, ladies," Sokka flirted, as usual, Suki rolled her eyes and Toph snorted. 

"Morning, sleepyheads. You get enough of your beauty sleep?"

"Not my fault we have to maintain beautiful," Zuko joked, flipping his long hair over his shoulder. Sokka let go of Zuko and his face dimmed a bit, until Sokka reached out a hand to help Zuko climb into the saddle. Zuko flushed, grabbing his hand. Sokka clearly hadn't realized how heavy a grown man would be, and lost balance, causing Zuko to knock into him, falling inches away from his face.

"Well, hello," Sokka chuckled, and was he… blushing?

"I… I'm sorry, I-"

"Ah don't worry about it, Firelord," Sokka joked. "Besides, you look pretty from this angle." Zuko would have died of heart failure right then and there if Katara hadn't broken into the conversation.

"Hey morons, would you stop flirting for 13 seconds and come help finish loading the bags?" Zuko scrambled off Sokka faster than you could say 'turtleduck' and reached over the side of the saddle for the remaining bags. Mai swore she saw Sokka blush that time. 

When everyone was accounted for, Katara and Aang seated at the reins, Mai, Ty Lee, Suki, Sokka, Zuko, and Toph all sitting in the giant saddle, Aang called "yip-yip" and Appa was off, soaring weightlessly through the sky. They would have to cross over Earth Kingdom territory to get to the Northern Water Tribe, so they were all dressed appropriately for the weather, Suki, Katara, and Ty Lee all in sundresses of their usual colors, Suki's a deep forest green, Katara's a light blue, and Ty Lee's a pale pink, while Mai wore a maroon top and long black skirt, and Toph in a mandarin-collar yellow top and green pants, no shoes as usual. Mai never knew how much she would love being in the air, the wind keeping a steady breeze even as they finally entered the desert. They traveled all day, talking and laughing, Sokka telling Mai everything he could remember about Yue, his head in Zuko's lap. Zuko looked ready to die again. 

"You okay, Zuko?" Toph asked out of the blue. 

"Uhh… yeah, why?" He asked hesitantly, obviously trying not to stare too long at Sokka. 

"Your heartbeat is like, off the rails right now, and it has been for a while. Do you need us to land or something for a minute?" Zuko flushed and everyone laughed except for him and Sokka.

"What, is there some joke I'm missing here?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. 

"It's nothing Sokka, really." Suki said, trying not to burst into laughter. Sokka laid back down and fell asleep shortly after, Zuko playing with his hair and watching the boy's features carefully.

"So… Zuko," Ty Lee started, nudging him in the arm and motioning toward Sokka. "Water Tribe boy, really?" Zuko's face went red, scarlet red, and he stammered to cover up the story. "No! Sokka? Of course not, I- I…" the girls all burst into laughter, snorting and on the brink of tears. They were finally calming down from teasing Zuko when the sum began to set and Katara suggested they should set up camp for the night. Half an hour later, they were eating (meat again, finally) around the campfire, a drunken happiness washing over them. They were just kids, and that was okay.

\- - -

That night, Mai dreamt of Yue again. She woke up on the moon again, stars flurrying around her like snowflakes as Yue appeared. 

"Yue," she breathed as the girl walked closer. 

"Hi, Mai," she said for the first time, like she was really there. Her voice broke slightly, and she looked as though she might cry.

"Why… why couldn't you tell me your name?" Mai asked, realizing that for the first time Yue had not disappeared when they spoke of her identity.

"You had to be sure of it on your own. I'm simply here to guide you," she spoke, her voice soft, as she traced her finger along the veins on the back of Mai's hand. 

"Guide me… guide me to what?"

"To me," she whispered, the sound of her voice filling Mai's lungs as if they were the air she breathed. Yue lifted a hand as if to touch her face, but retracted.

"What's wrong, Yue?" she asked. The broken look in the girl's eyes made Mai want to do whatever it took to make it better, and for the first time, Mai saw Yue as entirely human. 

"I miss… being Yue." This perplexed Mai.

"But… you are Yue?" 

"I miss being human," she whispered, finally placing her hand on Mai's cheek. "I know you can feel this touch, but I cannot. I'm not me anymore, Mai. I hate it."

"What do you miss the most?" Yue contemplated for a moment, lost in thought.

"Well, I miss the snow quite a bit. I miss the water, I've always loved the water. I even miss my parents ordering me around." She laughed, light and airy. "But… most of all, I miss you, Mai. I never met you while I was human, yet somehow I miss you anyway. I miss you during the day while you walk the earth." Mai was stunned.

"I miss you too, Yue."


End file.
